What did Katelyn McClure do? New Jersey woman sentenced to one year in prison for role in $400K GoFundMe scam

Katelyn McClure, the New Jersey woman who created a fake campaign to help a homeless veteran, has been sentenced to one year in jail after admitting her involvement in a GoFundMe scam for $400,000 (£333,208).

On Thursday, a federal court ordered Katelyn McClure, 32, to pay back the money and complete a three-year supervised release. McClure will be sentenced next month on state charges and may get further time in jail.

Katelyn McClure and her ex-boyfriend Mark D'Amico set up a GoFundMe campaign in 2017 to apparently help a homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt Jr.

Established just in time for the holidays, the "Paying It Forward" charity was meant to aid in the rehabilitation of Bobbitt Jr., who apparently gave his last $20 to McClure after she ran out of gas and became stranded on a Philadelphia highway.

It was later revealed that the story was false and fabricated by the couple to scam people. The already knew Bobbitt from a month ago, finding him under an underpass. The claim that he turned up his last $20 was faked. McClure set up the story to persuade funders to "pay it forward."

The trio made a tidy profit from their deception up until Bobbitt sued McClure and D'Amico, alleging they had wasted money on expensive items like a recreational RV, a BMW, and trips to casinos. They only gave him about $75,000 in total, according to Bobbitt.

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Katelyn McClure's GoFundMe campaign scammed 14,000 donors

Kate McClure in Burlington County Superior Court (Photo via AP)

The GoFundMe was initially set up with a target amount of $10,000 to help get Bobbitt off the streets. When the story first broke, it made local and national news, and after 14,000 contributors stepped forward, donations quickly crossed the initial objective of $10,000 and jumped beyond to $400,000.

Law enforcement began their investigation into the campaign after Bobbitt claimed he had not received the money from the couple. The investigation subsequently revealed that the money had been embezzled.

The GoFundMe money was allegedly completely spent by McClure and D'Amico by March 2018, with the majority going into a recreational vehicle, a BMW, and excursions to casinos in Las Vegas and New Jersey, according to the federal criminal complaint.

In Burlington County in 2019, D'Amico agreed to a plea deal that included a five-year jail term. Bobbitt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft by deception. He was sentenced to a five-year special probation that required him to enroll in a drug rehab facility.

Like Katelyn McClure, both are set for sentencing on various state crimes next month.

As part of the bargain, McClure admitted being guilty of second-degree theft by fraud in New Jersey Superior Court in 2019. Additionally, she is due to receive a state charge sentence next month, which might mean additional jail time.